Motown's resounding success was a powerful magnet to Detroit's local jazz and club
players, who brought with them a musical sophistication missing in the earliest
recordings. Robert White's and Eddie Willis' signature guitar licks, the backbeat cooked
up by guitarist Joe Messina and percussionist Jack Ashford, the heart stopping rhythmic
locks by drummer Benny Benjamin and virtuoso bassist James Jamerson, the deft direction by
bandleader and keyboardist Earl Van Dyke, provided the unshakeable foundation for Motown's
stars.

During this era there was a new catalyst for change in the Motown sound. Producer
Norman Whitfield's psychedelic soul revolution ushered in the arrival of guitarist Dennis
Coffey and Wah Wah Watson. Motown's recording schedule increased bringing in other new
players. The death of Benny Benjamin, along with James Jefferson's advancing alcoholism,
pushed talents like Uriel Jones and Bob Babbitt to the front. Still at Motowns core was
the classic band led by Earl Van Dyke.

Ater a decade of hit making the Funk Brothers performed like a championship team; they
thought their dynasty would last forever. But as Motown began to seek new horizons in Los
Angeles, the musicians sensed the coming of an end to an era. Digging deep into their
lifeblood, the many strains of Detroit's rich musical traditions, they redefined the
boundaries of pop music one last time with the historic Marvin Gaye What:s Going On
sessions.

Within a year after the release of Gaye's album, Motown moved permanently to Los
Angeles, and the most prolific studio band in recording history closed shop.

During the mid-Sixties Motown augmented its overwhelming Detroit recording schedule
with a few west Coast sessions. In addition to accommodate complex touring schedules the
company often flew tapes between Los Angeles and Detroit. The majority of the hits were
still being recorded in Detroit, but by the late 60s the Los Angeles operation played an
increasingly important role. The Jackson 5 sessions, in fact, were recorded almost
entirely in Los Angeles.